The State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) announced yesterday that it would hold a public hearing on April 13 to discuss the controversial project in Yuanmingyuan Park (the Old Summer Palace) that was halted after criticism that it was damaging the ecosystem of the former imperial gardens.

Pan Yue, SEPA deputy administrator, said the hearing would be open to all and that experts will be invited to express their opinions.

In March, specialists said lining the park's lakes with impermeable membrane would reduce natural seepage of water into the ground, reducing underground water supplies and turning the lakes into "dead pools."

Beijing's vice mayor said last summer that subsidence resulting from groundwater depletion was a "major threat" to the capital.

The project was frozen last week because it had not secured approval concerning its environmental impact. It started last September with an investment of 200 million yuan (US$24.2 million) and was scheduled for completion in mid April.

This is the first public hearing to evaluate environmental impact since a new law took effect in September 2003 that said one should be held if a project arouses debate.

The park's administration said the project was a last resort to save water, as each year more than 2.5 million cubic meters seep into the ground, and most of the lakes are on the point of drying up seven out of twelve months.

Pan said that the hearing would not only discuss the environmental impact of the project, but also its effect on the site's historical and archaeological value.

(Xinhua News Agency April 7, 2005)